Did I just hear someone crave for some English soccer action??? OK, OK, take it easy, we are here to fulfill your wishes…lol…No, it’s not yet time for a regular Premier league round, but we are going to watch some exciting midweek games with the English football league Cup on schedule. In fact, we are about to witness some conclusion in the 2016/2017 EFL cup with the return leg of the semi-finals to be played on Wednesday and Thursday. Four teams are left, and this week’s games will decide which two teams will hit the road on February 26th and play in the final match of the EFL cup, which will be played at the Wembley!!!
LIVERPOOL – SOUTHAMPTON (0-1)
3-Way: 1: Liverpool -204 Home ; X: +338 Draw ; 2: Southampton +593 Away
Total 2.5: Over -132 ; Under +105
AH: Liverpool -1 @ -126
First game of the semi-finals will be played at the Anfield Road with Liverpool hosting the Southampton Saints, who managed to pull a 1 – 0 win in the first leg of the EFL semi-final match. The visitors will try to do the same at the Anfield Road, but we all know that this time Liverpool will have much more to say, considering that they are almost perfect when playing in front of their crowd.
Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp is aware that the Reds have defeated Southampton only once in their last five meetings, while suffering two defeats and pulling the draw on two occasions. Their lone win came on December 2nd 2015, in the English Football League cup when the Reds demolished the Saints on their soil with a huge 6 – 1 win. However, considering the fact that the Reds are entering this match with a 1 goal deficit and having suffered an unexpected 2 – 3 home loss against Swansea in Round 22 of the EPL, coach Klopp will not gamble and I am sure that he will send his best unit onto the pitch trying to level the score as soon as possible.
That is exactly what coach Klopp said after the shocking loss to Swansea, stating that they will try to forget that game quickly and focus on the Wednesdays duel against Southampton. The Reds will not be able to count on Sadio Mane, who is still playing at the African Cup of Nations, while Ings and Grujic are still out with injuries.
On the other side, Southampton has increased their form significantly in the last couple of matches. The Saint are playing superbly on all three fronts (the EPL, EFL and FA Cup). In the last round of the EPL, the Saints celebrated a high 3-0 win over the Champions Leicester Foxes, while in the FA Cup, Southampton has managed to defeat Norwich with 1-0 at home and reach the next round. One thing that could create problems for the Saints in the upcoming matches is the injury list that is becoming longer each day. Goalkeeper McCarthy, defenders van Dijk and Targett, midfielders Pied, Boufal and Davis, and striker Austin are all sidelined with injuries. To make things worse, the Saints will not be able to count on the experience defender Fonte, who recently signed with West Ham.
After suffering a loss in the EPL during the weekend, the Reds are now 10 points behind the top ranked Chelsea, it seems that Liverpool is slowly losing the battle for the EPL title. This means that they will turn all of their focus on winning the EFL cup title, which is why I expect the Reds to go full strength forward and try to score early on. I think that Liverpool will record a comfortable win which is why I am going with the -1 AH @ -126.
The game is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon 3:00 PM ET.
HULL CITY – MANCHESTER UNITED (0-2)
3-Way: 1: Hull City +584 Home ; X: +334 Draw ; 2: Manchester United -204 Away
Total 2.5: Over -142 ; Under +113
Spread: Hull City +1 +106; Manchester United -1 -125
The second semi-final match will be played on Thursday afternoon with the Hull City facing a tough task of overcoming a 2 goal deficit to the Manchester United. This time Hull City will try to use the home crowd energy and support and pull an upset, although they hold slim chances against the Red Devils. The game will kick-off on Thursday 2:45 PM ET at the KCOM Stadium.
With one step already in the finals, the Man Utd Devils will enter the game cautiously, trying to prevent an early goal inside of their net. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mourinho sending an mixed lineup onto the pitch, saving some of the starters on the bench and putting them in the game only in case something goes wrong. The Red Devils have been on a magnificent run over the past couple of weeks, going on a 9 game winning streak before recording 2 straight draws in the EPL. Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini both score to lift the Red Devils to a 2-0 win over the Hulls City in the first semi-final leg of the English football league Cup.
The hosting Hull City Tigers are having a tough season in the EPL so far, collecting only 16 points (4W4D14L) and holding the 19th spot of the table. The math is clear for the Tiger as they enter the decisive match that could turn their season around. If they manage to upset the Red Devils on Thursday, the Tigers would advance to the final match of the EFL Cup for the first time in the history of the team. It would also give them the much needed boost for the upcoming Premier League features. However, the history against the Red Devils is not giving them too much hope, knowing that the Tigers were last victorious against the Red Devils back in1974.
Although I don’t expect too much action in the first half, eventually the Tigers will have to open up their game and attack with all they got. This should leave plenty of room for the Red Devils to create some counter attacks and potentially score some easy goals. With that being said, I would suggest putting your money on the Over 2.5 goals, which is offered @ -142!!!
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